All posts for the month December, 2009

Making BBQ chicken in the oven should be part of every cook’s bag of tricks. Oh sure we grillers would rather fire up some lump and put some nice thighs on the grill, but sometimes things just don’t work out properly. Here’s a method I’ve been using lately that’s not just easy, but delicious.

When making “BBQ” chicken you naturally think of thighs. That’s great because dark meat has a higher moisture content than white meat so it’s much harder to dry out. So thighs it is.

It doesn’t matter if your thighs are still slightly frozen or have ice crystals on them, you just don’t want them rock hard frozen. That really won’t work.

Preheat the oven on its lowest setting, around 220*-250*. Much like grilling a steak, you don’t want to start cooking with real cold chicken. This will help bring the internal temperature of the chicken up slowly and lend itself to more even cooking.

While that’s working we need to get the chicken ready. Begin by trimming the thighs with a pair of shears. Remove any exposed fat, that strip along the side will still be there after cooking if you don’t trim it off, and clip off any hanging bits of skin, it’s unattractive and may burn.

To get that nice “bite through” skin you need to start with it dry. Firmly pat and squeeze each piece of chicken dry with a paper towel. Use as many towels as it takes, just make it dry. Wet skin will not do what you want. For best results, put in the fridge for a couple of hours uncovered to dry the skin.

Now this is important for the taste. You want to layer flavors on the chicken. Some people will start with a brine of salt, sugar and some spices and/or herbs. I don’t brine, but only because I haven’t tried it. I start with a seasoning rub at this point. Something as simple as Lemon-Pepper salt will work. Sprinkle your desired amount of seasoning on the chicken and spread around evenly. Be sure to get the bottom.

Arrange the chicken on a broiler pan, not a cookie sheet. You want to use the broiler pan because the drippings are able to escape the chicken. If the thighs just sit in their own fat you’re going to have some nasty stuff. You want the fat to baste the chicken, not soak the chicken.

I generally don’t watch the clock when cooking so I can’t give exact times. I do it by feel, by what I think… OK, I guess a lot…

Put the thighs in the oven, skin side up, for about half an hour. This really helps to bring the internal temperature up so you don’t get a done outside and an undercooked inside. Don’t ever serve undercooked chicken. Not only is it unhealthy, but it’s gross.

At the half hour mark just go ahead and bump the temp to 350* for 45 minutes to an hour. Do NOT put your sauce on at this time.

At the hour mark you have two ways to go so I’ll start with the way I generally do it. I turn the broiler on and move the rack down a spot from the middle. I brush my sauce on both sides of the chicken being sure to make it thin and even, not thick and heavy. I then return the pan to the oven with the skin side down. I want to try to crisp the bottom some because it’s been sitting in some of the fat that didn’t drain down.

After a couple of minutes go ahead and flip the chicken, skin side up and return to the broiler. Listen here, you MUST watch the chicken carefully. Burned chicken is burned chicken, not good chicken, not BBQ chicken, not appetizing chicken. Don’t burn the skin. When it’s just crispy again pull it, let it sit for a few minutes and serve.

The other way to finish is bump the temp to make sure the skin is crispy, again watching it carefully so as not to burn it, then brush a pre-heated sauce, not a cold sauce, on just before serving. It’s your choice. I prefer one way, you may prefer the other or another.

I hope this helps some of you who are looking for an easy way to cook chicken thighs in the oven. Of course the best way to cook thighs is over fire, but sometimes life steps in.

My first impressions of the shop were that it was clean, busy, well-run, and a bit feminine. Let’s start with cleanliness. After each cut the stylists were sure to sweep up and dispose of all the clippings. For sale items were neatly displayed and the play train area was pretty clean for a place full of children. I say the shop was well-run because the employees all appeared to have a job and they appeared to be doing it right.

As for the femininity of the place, that may be a product of the all female staff, the all female parents (except me), the female ribbons and bows for sale, or maybe it was just a gut feeling. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. The place was great.

While we did have a short wait, my son didn’t mind because he joined two other boys at the train set. Time flew by for him.

Amber was my boy’s stylist and she was quite pleasant. After placing boy-child in the fire truck barber chair she took the time to listen to what I wanted. While cutting she asked several times if I liked the progress, as if to give herself reassurance she was doing a good job. She eventually got it right and he looks great. Best of all, my son had a great time getting his hair cut.

The only downside to the entire trip was the cost. I pay $10 for my own haircuts, so to pay $16, plus tip, was really asking a lot. I paid it and considered the crying and screaming last time we had his hair cut and deemed it a good $16+! The lessor of two evils I guess you could say.

The Hilltop location offers a party room and party packages, though I deemed the parties to be mostly driven toward the female clients. Something about mani-pedi’s and the like just sounded girly.

On the way out we were given a punch card. After 10 punches I guess you get a free cut, I don’t know. I took the card and didn’t really listen to what the lady said. I did, however, hear her say that Tuesday is “double punch” day so I left with two punches.

Here’s a link to a great site for BBQ recipes. He’s a friend from the “sticks of Virginia” so check out his site, The Wolfe Pit

Larry also has some of the best rubs this side of the Mississippi! Best of all you don’t have to buy those small 6oz containers of it at the store. You can buy the whole darned recipe and make it yourself whenever you want! Not many Qer’s will do that!

If you’re in favor of gun control, just remember there are no handguns allowed in Washington DC and they still have one of the very highest crime and murder rates in the country. A fact we should be proud of with DC being our Nation’s Capital.

I just got this email from the Redskins about nice ticket package for their game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Celebrate this Holiday Season with the Washington Redskins and our Holiday Package!

Holiday Package includes:

Two (2) Premier Seats for the
Redskins vs. Dallas December 27, 2009
(Two locations to choose from: right down by the action or in a climate controlled area.)

On-site Parking

Complimentary Food

Your choice of a current player
Replica Jersey*

Only $499 per package

Our Holiday Package is available until
December 21, 2009, and limited quantities are
available. ACT NOW! Get the Washington Redskins Holiday Package today by calling the Redskins
at (301) 276-6800 or click the button below
to order online.**